Otter Love
by Kristen3
Summary: When Daphne awakes to find Niles holding her hand, she is deeply touched. Niles' reason for doing it demonstrates his love, not only for her, but for marine animals as well. One-shot. Written as a gift for Andrea (iloveromance).


**Author's Note: **I'm dedicating this story to the one and only Andrea (iloveromance). If not for her, I would never have discovered how truly adorable sea otters are. Not only that, but she is an amazing friend and supporter of my stories! *Hugs* x a million!

Niles sighed deeply as he prepared to get into bed. He was amazed he'd had the energy to change out of his suit. With the birth of their baby only weeks away, Niles had taken some time off to help prepare for the impending event. This had resulted in a serious backlog in Niles' patient files.

A sense of guilt had hit him when he realized the situation. He loved Daphne, and nothing mattered more than the new life she carried within her. But Niles was a doctor. People depended on his advice, and he couldn't ignore that. So he had pulled an all-nighter trying to catch up. He only stopped when sheer exhaustion forced him to.

Daphne barely stirred as Niles crawled into bed. Even after all this time, he still could not believe that she was here. He wondered what she dreamed about as she lay there. Niles often did not remember his dreams, but when he did, they always had to do with her. She was literally the woman of his dreams. He smiled as he placed a hand on her growing stomach, silently telling the child inside that he or she was loved already, no matter what he or she turned out to be. Then, just before he drifted off, Niles found her hand under the covers. He gently laced his fingers in between hers.

When Daphne awoke, she was almost disappointed. Lately, this pregnancy had been making her feel tired nearly all the time. She hadn't thought bringing a new life into this world would be so bloody exhausting. Now that she knew what pregnancy felt like, she wondered how her mother had managed to do it nine times. But these thoughts disappeared as she began to realize where she was. She was in bed, of course, right next to Niles. Because she had slept alone for much of her life, she was used to waking up in strange positions, with no memory of how she'd gotten there. But this morning she found herself in almost the exact same position she'd been in before she went to sleep. The only difference was her hand. Because, right on top of it, was Niles' hand.

Touched by the sight, Daphne leaned over to kiss her husband. "Good morning."

"Good morning, my love." Niles returned the kiss without hesitation. When it ended, he smiled. "What brought that on?" He was used to being the one to wake her with an affectionate kiss.

"That," she said, nodding toward the place on the bed where their hands remained entwined.

"Well, I read somewhere that sea otters often hold hands while they sleep, so that they don't drift apart. I thought if they can hold onto the most important thing in their lives, I should do the same. It may sound silly, but I could never take the chance of losing you."

"My darling, you never have to worry about that. Right now, I'm too bloody tired to go anywhere." She smiled at him. "And besides, you're the love of me life, me handsome prince."

"I'm hardly a prince, Daphne. I still find it incredible that you're actually here, and I don't have to spend my nights wishing I could hold you in my arms." That started off another round of kisses, far more passionate than earlier.

It was Daphne who brought an end to the moment. "Darling, we'd better stop this, or you'll be late for work. You know how Mrs. Woodson hates it when you throw off the schedule."

"Actually, Daphne, I've got a better idea. I took care of most of the paperwork that needed updating last night. I think I can afford to take another day off. If you're feeling up to it, maybe we could go visit the Seattle Aquarium and see some of those sea otters up close."

For a moment, Daphne was tempted to say no. In her condition, getting dressed and going out was much more difficult than it had been earlier in her pregnancy. But the it was impossible to ignore the excitement in his eyes when he suggested the idea. "All right. I was watching a nature program on television the other night, and they showed a couple of otters. They are rather adorable."

Niles patiently waited for his wife to get dressed. Part of him knew he had taken his share of time off lately, but his patients would be OK without him for one more day. He enjoyed being able to help troubled souls whenever he could, but there was no way it would ever compare to the feeling he had when he was with Daphne.

"I'm all set," Daphne announced when she finally made her way downstairs. She wore a T-shirt and jeans, knowing she would need to be comfortable. The shirt was rather tight, so it made her condition even more obvious than it already was. But she knew Niles didn't care. He always saw her as being beautiful, and so Daphne had learned to see herself through his eyes.

Niles sighed as she slipped her hand into his. "Look at this, our child isn't even born yet, and we're already taking him or her on an educational trip!"

Daphne kissed him. "If this little one turns out to be like Simon, it'll be a waste of time!"

"A little culture never hurt anyone. I haven't been to the aquarium in years, so I must admit I'm looking forward to seeing it again." He took her hand and gently led her out of the apartment.

For the first time in months, Daphne actually felt a bit energetic. Niles' enthusiasm was infectious. But what had moved her even more was the fact that, once again, he'd placed his fingers around hers. Just like sea otters, they would never be separated.

**The End**


End file.
